1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing method and a fixing apparatus of an electrophotographic printer which has a pair of fixing rollers pressing each other, and passes a medium carrying a non-fixed toner image through between the pair of fixing rollers, thereby to fix the non-fixed toner image onto the medium, and more in particular to a fixing apparatus with an improved mold releasing property of a toner with respect to rollers for performing a fixation economically.
2. Description of the Related Art
As shown in FIG. 1, conventionally, in the fixing apparatus of a super high speed electrophotographic printer in response to continuous paper sheets, a toner image formed (image electrostatically transferred) on a blank paper sheet 1 is heated, pressed and fixed on the paper sheet by a heating roller 3 and a pressing roller 4, the heating roller 3 having a heating source 2 in an interior thereof and rotating in a direction of feeding the paper 1, and the pressing roller 4 being urged to the heating roller 3.
As a supplying unit for supplying a lubricant for preventing toner offsets to an outer circumference of the heating roller 3, for example, the lubricant in a tank 6 is supplied through a pump 7. The lubricant is forced out by the pump 7, and discharged out of a lubricant discharging part 8 having lots of holes. The discharged lubricant is impregnated in a coated stuff 5, and coated onto the heating roller 3.
As the lubricant coated on the surface of the heating roller 3, ordinarily a silicone oil is used. A coated layer of the heating roller 3 employs a rubber capable of printing high quality image or Teflon (registered trademark) resin excellent in heat resistance and abrasion resistance.